I get asked the same question, a lot. I’m really surprised the more people haven’t figured out the answer. Since no one is talking about it, I’m going to.
The Secret To Success Is To Diversify Your Income.
A lot of my readers sell physical products on Etsy, so I’m going to use that type of biz as an example in this post, but the same principals apply, no matter what kind of business you own.
Like I said, a lot of people ask me how they can be successful enough to support themselves by selling their crafts on Etsy. They want to be like “_______________” (fill in the blank with any top crafter name.)
Have you ever realized that “_________________” isn’t making a living solely off of what they sell on Etsy?
The really big names that you hear about and that we all recognize make their living off of the following:
- Teaching Classes
- Jobs At Magazines
- Speaking Gigs
- Book Deals
- Hosting TV Shows
- Product Endorsements
- Their Own Product Lines (sold at national stores or on HSN, QVC, etc)
- Ad Sales On Their Websites
- And, Sometimes, By Selling Crafts (and they always have their own websites, not just an Etsy shop)
Do you see what I’m getting at?
If you want to support yourself with your business and quit that day job, you need to diversify your income.
I’m not saying you can’t make money by selling crafts on Etsy … You can certainly do that.
But if you want to be like “Big Name Crafter,” you need to add to your income.
Now, you may not be able to get your own show on HGTV tomorrow, but why wait for HGTV? You can create your own show and find your own sponsor. Why wait for a book deal? Create your own book and sell it. (once you can prove that you can sell your own book, you’ll be more attractive to traditional publishers)
If you need help with diversifying your income, check out my How To Start A Service Based Business Workshop and my How To Create Info Products Workshop.